


Hide and Seek

by AngelLunaSky



Series: Games of Love [1]
Category: Kaitou Saint Tail
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-11-07
Updated: 2007-11-07
Packaged: 2017-11-16 23:07:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/544836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelLunaSky/pseuds/AngelLunaSky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[Published on FF.net in 2007-08]<br/>It started with a lost bracelet, and ended with a game. Will Asuka Jr be able to play by the rules? And will Meimi be able to hide forever?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Lost Possession

It was monday morning and as usual there was a big fuss over the newspaper. On the front page was an article about the kaitou Saint Tails latest thefth. This time it was a necklace that had been stolen and, as usual, it had turned out that it was stolen. But there was one person who didn't care about it. She stayed in her seat looking at the rest of the class as they flocked around a certain detective in the class. One of her friends came over to her and started chatting away.  
"Nee Meimi-chan, aren't you interested in the latest article?"  
The girl shook her head and smiled.  
"No, I don't really understand why everybody is still making such a fuss over it. Isn't it becoming routine by now? Saint Tail steals something and Asuka Jr ends up failing to catch her."  
Her friend giggled in agreement, but the young detective had heard her and came over to her desk.  
"I heard that Haneoka, just watch and see, next time I will catch her for sure!"  
"Yeah? I wonder how many times I heard that", she sighed. She had other things to think about right now. Her best friend Seira leaned over and whispered in her ear.  
"By the way Meimi-chan, did you find that bracelet last night?"  
Meimi shook her head slowly. She was really worried. That bracelet would give her away if the wrong person found it since it had her initials on it. She didn't want to think that maybe she dropped it when she was out last night, but she had searched her room throughly when she got back and it was nowhere to be found.  
  
"Meimi-chan, what's wrong? You're usually up fighting with Asuka Jr by now, did something happen?"  
Askuka Jr looked at the girl who had asked that. She was right, he realized. Haneoka Meimi and himself would always get into fights about Saint Tail and his detective work. But today she didn't yell at him. Something was definitly wrong and he waited with the others for her response.  
"No, it's nothing really. Just that I kinda misplaced a really precious bracelet last night. I just can't seem to find it."  
Asuka looked at her in surprise. She was this distressed over a stupid bracelet? Girls were really something. But wait. Bracelet? What did that remind him off? He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out the item he found at the crime scene last night. It was a beautiful bracelet with red stones on it. He held it in his hand thinking until the sound of Haneokas best friend Mimori Seiras voice snapped him back to reality. She gasped her best friends name and he saw that she was staring at the bracelet. He glanced at Haneoka and saw that her face had gone pale and she was staring at the bracelet in horror.  
"Aahh! What a beautiful bracelet! Where did you get that?"  
His thought was interrupted when almost every girl in the classroom gathered around him wanting to know where he got it. He turned his eyes to Haneoka again. She looked tense when she waited for him to answer the others. All in all, she was acting strange.  
"Saint Tail dropped it last night", he said to get the girls away from him so that he could ask Haneoka why she was acting so strange. He looked at her and got a sudden idea, since her face now was a sick ashen color. When their teacher/nun came into the classroom he raised his hand and said:  
"Sister, Haneoka doesn't look well, may I take her to the nurse?"  
  
Meimi looked in terror at Asuka. What was he doing? Did he figure it out? Did he realize that the bracelet he found was hers? How was she going to get out of this? To her relief she heard Seiras voice from behind her.  
"Excuse me, but I think that maybe it's better if I go with her, I will take her home instead."  
The nun looked thoughfully at them for a second and then said, much to Meimis relief.  
"Mimori-san, I will trust you to take Haneoka-san home."  
Meimi silently thanked God for his mercy and followed Seira out of the classroom, ignoring the looks she got from Asuka. When they came outside the school she took a deep breath.  
"Thank you Seira, I didn't know what to do."  
"You're welcome. But Meimi-chan, what should we do about the bracelet? You need to get it back."  
"I know, I already sent him the notice. I'll go get it tonight."  
Meimi couldn't help but smile when she thought about the look on Asukas face when he read the notice.  
  
Asuka was sitting in his seat fingering at the bracelet. He was thinking about Haneokas face. She had looked really terrified, but it wasn't because of this, was it? He took a closer look at the bracelet and almost forgot to breath. On the inside of the bracelet were two small letters, probably the initials of it's owner. Could this be the clue that told him her identity? He took a closer look and his eyes widened. The letters written was H.M. His eyes unvouluntarily went back to the empty seat where Haneoka used to sit. Haneoka. Haneoka Meimi. H.M. But it wasn't possible. Was it? He shook his head. Of course it wasn't possible. There was no way. He looked down in his textbook that was lying in front of him, trying to get his mind on other things. As he turned a page a loud noise was heard and his seat was covered in confetti. Among the confetti he saw a familiar card. A notice from Saint Tail. He took it and read it. After reading it he was more confused than ever.  
  
 _"Tonight at six, meet me at the south exit of the park. I would like my bracelet back. Saint Tail."_  
  



	2. The Game Begins

_"Lord, forgive me, for I use not gimmick nor trick."_  
"Be careful Meimi-chan, don't let him figure it out."  
"I won't Seira, trust me." _But what do I do if he already figured it out?_  
 _"May Gods blessings be with us."_  
Five minutes later Meimi, or more correctly speaking, Saint Tail reached the park. She had just jumped up to sit on a streetlamp when she saw a familiar figure on the ground.  
  
Asuka was confused when he arrived at the park. He had the bracelet in his pocket, but he wouldn't let her have it unless she answered a few questions. He looked around but couldn't see her.  
"Up here."  
He looked up and saw her sitting on top of the streetlamp. He strained his eyes to see her face, but it was already too dark.  
"Did you bring the bracelet?"  
Suddenly he remembered the questions he needed the answeres to.  
"I brought it, but I need you to answer two questions. First off, is this really your bracelet?"  
He saw her look at him in confusion.  
"Why do you ask that?"  
"Because a girl in my class lost a bracelet, and the initials are the same as hers."  
"Really? Well, yes it is my bracelet. It's really precious to me, so if you'd like to give it back I promise to stay and listen to your second question."  
  
Meimi was really nervous. She hoped that he would give it back to her without asking more about the initials. To her relief he nodded and took the bracelet out of his pocket. She sent down a pianostring and retrieved it, then she looked at him again.  
"Thank you. What was the other question you wanted to ask?"  
She could see that he hesitated, but he asked the question none the less.  
"I've been thinking about this for a while but, do I know you? I mean the you when you're not a kaitou?"  
Meimi looked at him in hesitation for a moment, then she smiled. She had thought of something fun.  
"Now that's a hard question for me to answer. Especcially because of your last question. If I say yes, then you'll immediatly suspect this girl in your class with the same initials as on the bracelet right?"  
She looked down at him. She could see his hesitation and knew that she was right. If she said now that she knew him as someone else than Saint Tail he would suspect Haneoka Meimi immediatly.  
"That's why I can only answer like this. Maybe I know you and maybe I don't. You just have to find out, Asuka Daiki."  
With that she jumped down beside him and while she started running she wispered in his ear:  
"Find me. If it's you then maybe you can figure it out."  
The game was on  
  
Asuka stood frozen and watched her dissapear in the darkness. He thought about her words. _You just have to find out, Asuka Daiki._ He knew that the fact that she knew his full name wasn't proof that she knew him, she could have just looked him up. But still, there was something in the way she said it that made him think it was said for a reason. _Find me. If it's you then maybe you can figure it out._ What did she mean by that? Then suddenly it struck him. _Find me._ She wanted him to try and figure out her identity. It was a challange. He thought about what he already knew about her. She was a girl around his age, an amazing athlete and a magician. And now the initials H.M. He started walking home slowly, completley uaware that a young girl was sitting in a tree close by watching him. But he heard her voice echoing in the air.  
"Find me. Find me but don't catch me."  
  
\- Next morning -  
"Meimi-chan, are you sure it's good to wear that bracelet to school today? You know that he will notice."  
"It's fine Seira. I have a perfect excuse. Besides I started a game last night, and it would be bad to cheat."  
"A game?"  
"Yeah. A game of hide and seek."  
  



	3. Asking For Advice

"Good morning everyone."  
Asuka looked up from his notes. The first thing he spotted was the glow of red on Haneokas arm. He quickly rose to his feet and started walking over to her.  
"Meimi-chan, did you find your bracelet?"  
Suddenly a lot of girls were standing around her, but they still let him through when he came walking.  
"Yeah, I found it last night,"  
He studied her face and the bracelet. Her face was beeming with happiness, but when he looked at the bracelet his eyes widened.  
"Where did you find it?"  
It was the same. No doubt about it. It was identical to the bracelet he had given back to Saint Tail the night before.  
"My mother had borrowed it without asking me. You know how my mother loves beautiful things."  
But then again, it could just be an identical one. He couldn't be too quick to judge people.  
"Oh so that's how it was. Yes, your mother just love beautiful things don't she."  
Once that had been settled class began. But Asuka couldn't concentrate. Two sentences suddenly came to his mind. _"Just that I kinda misplaced a really precious bracelet last night." "It's really precious to me, so if you'd like to give it back I promise to stay and listen to your second question."_ Haneokas words and Saint Tails words. Weren't they similar? But then again, he had thought them similar before and it didn't have to mean anything. But maybe because they were similar he could use her to figure out last night.  
  
"Haneoka."  
Meimi turned to face Asuka with a questioning smile. She knew that he suspected her, but that didn't matter as long as he didn't have any evidence.  
"What is it Asuka Jr?"  
"Ah, eh, were you alright yesterday? You looked really sick."  
She smiled to herself. _What is it that you really want to ask me?_  
"Yeah, I got better after sleeping a few hours. Did I miss anything in class?" _Like a notice or something?_  
"No, not really. Nothing important. But anyway, I need to talk to you, do you have time?"  
Meimi just stared at him. He sounded serious.  
"Sure, I have time. What do you want to talk to me about?"  
"Not here, let's go."  
Meimi looked after him for a second before she followed him out of the school. When they reached the park she tried again.  
"So, what did you want to talk about?"  
His answer made it hard for her not to burst out in laughter.  
  
"I was thinking of asking you, if you said 'find me' what would you mean?"  
He was looking at her seriously, but she just looked back with a strange look in her eyes. Just when he thought that she was making fun of him she said:  
"That depends. What is the situation?"  
He looked at her. Then he got angry with himself. Of course she needed to know the situation to help.  
"Well, you see, truth be told I was called out by Saint Tail yesterday. She wanted her bracelet back. And I asked her if I know her, her real identity. But she said that she couldn't tell. When she left she said 'find me'. But I'm not sure what she meant."  
He could hear her sigh and looked at her.  
"Hey Asuka Jr. Did you never play as a kid?"  
"I played. Why?" He didn't get where she was going.  
"Did you ever play hide and seek?"  
"Yeah, I did. But I was never any good at it. What have that got to do with this?"  
"Can't you see? 'Find me'. It's a game. She's playing hide and seek. She wants you to look for her. Look and look until you find her."  
  
Meimi met Asukas eyes steadily. She couln't believe how dense he was. But when he spoke the next time she got really surprised.  
"Were you good at hide and seek as a child?"  
She stared at him for a moment, trying to understand what he meant.  
"Yeah, I was fairly good. Since I knew how to hide good, I was able to seek good to. Why?"  
"Do you want to help me? In this game of hide and seek, would you help me seek?"  
Meimi didn't know how to react. This was really something. She wanted to laugh at him for asking the one he was seeking to help, but then, the best place to hide, would be close to the seeker. So she decided to have some fun with this.  
"Sure, you could probably need some help."  
"Good, this time I'll definitly catch her."  
Meimi shook her head at him.  
"Find me but don't catch me."  
Asuka quickly turned his head towards her.  
"What did you just say?"  
  



	4. Find Me But Don't Catch Me

"Haneoka. What did you just say?"  
Asuka stared at her. Those words.. _Find me. Find me but don't catch me.._ But she just looked at him with surprise.  
"What do you mean? It was words me and my friends used when we played hide and seek as kids. Before we hid we would say that. Find me but don't catch me. It meant that the seeker could look and find the one he was looking for, but he could never touch her. That wasn't allowed in the game."  
He looked at her, and when her words sank in he sighed.  
"So basically she's telling me to find out who she is, but I can't catch her when I do?"  
"That's about it. It's just a game, but she won't let it be that easy. She will leave clues, but she won't let you catch her."  
He looked at her intently. It was something with the words she chose that vexed his mind.  
"You seem to know an awful lot about her way of thinking."  
"Well, like I said, I was quite good at hide and seek", she said with a wink as she turned to leave.  
"I have to get home. But remember, find me but don't catch me."  
Asuka stood for a long time looking at the spot where she had dissapeared, with those words ringing in his mind. _Find me but don't catch me._  
  
Meimi supressed a giggle as she left him in the park. She knew that she had left several clues just with the words she had chosen but that didn't matter. Somehow she wanted him to find out. She wanted him to find her true self behind Saint Tail, and she wanted him to find that he didn't want to catch her when he knew. She knew this was a dangerous gamble, Seira had tried to talk her out of it. There was no way to be sure that he would play by the rules of her game, but she wanted to think that he would. Instead of heading home like she had said, she walked to the church where she knew Seira was waiting for her. When she arrived, her best friend was standing outside waiting for her. As they walked over to the lake near by, Seira suddenly asked:  
"Meimi-chan, if he really figure out who you are, will you really tell him? I mean if he guesses right, will you let him know that he's right?"  
She thought about it for a moment before she quietly answered:  
"I probably will. I started this game after all, I have to play by the rules."  
She saw Seira gasp and then followed the lecture she knew was coming.  
"But Meimi-chan, you know you can't let him catch you. If he does it's the end of Saint Tail, you won't be able to help people anymore."  
Meimi shrugged.  
"If he figures out who I am it's over anyway, wether I confirm it or not. But don't worry, I don't plan on making it easy for him."  
"Well, if you say so. Todays case is like this..."  
  
That night Asuka was lying on his bed trying to get his thoughts under control. He couldn't get the similarities between Haneoka Meimi and Saint Tail out of his head. There was firt and foremost the bracelet with the initials H.M. Haneoka had lost her bracelet on the same night he found Saint Tails, and the day after he gave it back she had a bracelet looking exactly the same. And then there was her choise of words when they had talked about the game. She seemed to know a lot about it. Sure, it could be like she said, that she had only been really good at hide and seek as a child, but it seemed like her words wanted to say something more. But it wasn't possible, right? Haneoka couldn't be Saint Tail. He didn't really know why he clinged to that thought so badly, but he really didn't want them to be the same person. Because, if Haneoka was Saint Tail, he had to arrest her, right? And for some reason he really didn't want to do that. He didn't want Haneoka Meimi to dissapear from his life. He knew that he probably liked her. A lot. And he didn't want to arrest a girl that he cared for. Suddenly her words echoed through his head. _Find me but don't catch me._ There was no way he could follow that rule, right? If he found out her identity he had to catch her. Didn't he?  
  



	5. Meeting Meimis' Parents

In school the next day Asuka watched Haneoka closley. He wanted to see if there were any signs that could tell him that he was wrong in the conclusion he made late last night. He had after many turns back and forth concluded that hopefully she wasn't Saint Tail, but something told him that there was a connection between the two. He idn't want to think that they were the same person, but he couldn't deny that every clue he had led to her. Therefor, he had concluded that she somehow knew the kaitou. She acted like she usually did, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something different in the looks she gave him. When he suddenly recieved a notice (she had once again booby trapped his lunch box) he quickly turned his eyes to her. Her reaction made him sure that she had something to do with it. She only smiled mysteriously at him when his eyes met hers and then turned her back at him and continued chatting with Mimori. He decided to follow her after school to see if she did anything suspicious. He closed his eyes and begged for his suspicion to be wrong.  
  
When school ended Meimi went home as usual, to have dinner before going out again. She could feel that someone was tailing her, and somhow she immediatly knew who it was. She could only hope that he would get tired of waiting while she was at home. But then an idea struck her. She stopped and turned her head slightly.  
"Are you planning on following me all the way home Asuka Jr? Or do you need more help with your game?"  
She watched in the corner of her eye when he came out from behind a tree. He looked like he was thinking really hard, probably about how to explain his trailing her. After a while he spoke up.  
"I wanted to ask if you could teach me a little more about hide and seek, since I was never any good at it."  
Meimi looked at him in amusement. She had a little time still, before she needed to head out, so why not? It was quite nice that he wanted the company of Haneoka Meimi for once, and not Saint Tail. She nodded slowly.  
"Sure, but we'll have to go to my place or I'll be late for dinner."  
When he nodded, she started walking again, knowing that he would follow her.  
  
As Asuka followed her towards her house he wondered how she had known that he followed her. Had she seen him during the way? That had to be it. When they reached her house, she sighed for some reason before turning to face him.  
"I'm just warning you, my parents are a little... strange. Don't let them surprise you too much."  
He just nodded, what did she mean strange? He got the answer as soon as she opened the door and a huge sound was heard, followed by a womans scolding.  
"Ahh, now look at this mess, you just delayed dinner again. Why do you always have to make the kitchen a mess?"  
He followed Haneoka inside and over to the kitchen door where he saw something that made him just stare in shock. Inside the kitchen was a man and a woman, the man was holding something that looked like... no, it really WAS a frying pan, and the woman had confetti in her hair. They hadn't noticed the two youths yet so the man answered his wife with a sheepish smile.  
"I'm sorry Eimi-san, but I had to try it out."  
"I'm home."  
Haneokas voice suddenly broke in their argument and they turned to stare at them. The man was the first to find his words.  
"Welcome home Meimi. You just missed my new magic trick. It was really something."  
He heard his classmate sigh before he noticed that the woman was staring at him.  
"Meimi, who's this boy?"  
"This is Asuka Jr, a classmate."  
He saw the womans face change into a frown. What was her problem? He soon got the answer when she walked up to study his face.  
"So this is that detective kid that you told me about? The one that it chasing Saint Tail-chan?"  
Saint Tail...chan? Why did this woman know about him charing Saint Tail? He looked at Haneoka who nodded. She looked really tired and, was that a glint of worry in her eyes?  
"Meimi, this isn't good. You can't go out with a detective."  
As he wondered about why she would say that he felt a blush creep up on his face. But none the less, he listened intently to the conversation.  
"Mom, we're not going out, we're just classmates."  
"But still, you shouldn't be associated with a detective..."  
"Mom... Please..."  
It was obvious that Haneoka wanted to end this conversation, and hearing her mothers next words suddenly made him realize why.  
"Because, as the daughter of a kaitou, you can't..."  
Asuka jerked his head up to look at them. Haneoka was trying to make her mother shut up, while the woman just rambled on about how it would be very bad for the daughter of a kaitou to hang out with a detective. The daughter of a kaitou? His thought were suddenly interrupted when he felt someone grab his hand and pull him towards the stairs.  
"We'll be in my room. You stay down here."  
He looked down the stairs and saw Haneokas mothers confused face before the girl in question pulled him into her room and slammed the door shut.  
  



	6. But It Can't Be

Meimi sat down tiredly on her bed as soon as she entered the room and motioned for Asuka to sit down as well. This was bad. Now she would have to explain her mothers words, and that was a bit more clues than she had intended to give him. Her heart sank even more when Ruby, her pet hedgehog, jumped onto her lap looking at her worriedly. The small animal was another important clue that she had somehow managed to hide until now. She could feel Asuka look at her and sighed before raising her head to face him.  
  
Asuka looked at Haneoka intently. Her mothers words had made him curious, but the animal on her lap made him cold. Last time he had seen that hedgehog was together with Saint Tail. He can see that she is worried about something and that just makes it harder to ask the question he wasn't sure that he wanted an answer to.  
"So... What was the deal with your mother?"  
He looked at her tired features and waited nervously for the answer. He heard her sigh once more before she started talking.  
"My mother used to be a kaitou when she was younger. You may have heard of her, she was nicknamed kaitou Lucifer."  
Asuka nodded. He had heard of Lucifer, but he couldn't believe that she was actually Haneokas mother.  
"And your father is a magician? It sounded like that."  
He watched her nod slowly and place her hands in her hands.  
"Yes, he is a magician and very good at it."  
Asuka tried to catch her eyes to see the expression in them, but she keeps her head bent down even as they are in her hands, so her eyes is hidden from his sight. This makes him even more worried, what if she really is... But she can't be! But still, everything seemed that way. He didn't like the way this was going. He looked at his watch. It was only fifteen minutes to the time of the notice. He would have to leave or he would be late.  
  
Meimi looked at her watch as well, getting even more worried. What if he planned to stay longer and she wouldn't be able to go meet Seira in time. It was with relief she heard him say:  
"I have to leave. I will see you in class tomorrow."  
She finally looked up at him and smiled weakly.  
"Okay, see you tomorrow."  
 _I will see you in fifteen minutes, but I can't really tell you that..._  
She saw him out and made sure that he had left before she climbed out her window and went to meet Seira.  
  
Half an hour later Asuka chased after Saint Tail down the stairs in the building where she had just stolen a beautiful brosch. He was running as fast as he could but couldn't seem to catch up with her, as usual. But when they reached the end of the stairs he saw a little bit of hope. The entire hall in front of them had thin wires spread out randomly and only the police knew where they were and could avoid them. He chased her desperatly as he saw her getting small cuts in her face and on her arms and legs. But when she reached the end of the hall he gasped and ran even faster. Her ribbon had been caught in a wire and her hair was now loose over her shoulders. He could see her looking back at him with fear in her eyes and he didn't want to trust his eyes. When she turned away again and fled out the door he called her name after her.  
"Haneoka! Haneoka! Meimi!"  
He cried out her first name desperately for the first time as he watched the girl his heart beat for dissapear into the darkness.  
  
Meimi was devastated. He had seen her! The only person she didn't want to know about her double-life had seen her identity. She had heard him call out to her so there was no mistake. He was sure to hate her now. Her tears was flowing down her face and blurred her vision. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew that she had to dissapear. She couldn't go to school and she couldn't go home. She kept running until she couldn't breath. She looked around and found herself in the park, on the same spot where she had challenged Asuka to a game of hide and seek. _How stupid I was._ She walked into the deepest and darkest place in the park, changed back to Haneoka Meimi and sat down in the grass and cried from despair, hid by a thick line of trees.  
  
It was with a heavy heart Asuka left for school the next day. He hadn't got a wink of sleep during the night as he had been running around looking for Meimi. He looked around when he entered the classroom and his eyes locked on the only empty space in the room. Meimis place. He let his eyes travel to the face of her best friend, Mimori Seira. Upon seeing the worried look on her face he became a bit pale. He walked up to her and whispered to her:  
"Where's Haneoka?"  
When Mimori looked up at him he saw that she hadn't slept either and his worries grew even more. She looked at her for a moment before answering.  
"Did something unusual happen last night with Saint Tail?"  
Asuka lowered his head a bit and said quietly:  
"I saw her. I know her identity."  
Mimori nodded slowly.  
"I thought so. She never came back last night. I have no idea where she is. I'm going to her house after school to see if she's there. I think you should come too."  
Asuka nodded and turned his head away and looked at the empty seat in front of them.  
"I'll come."  
With this short confirmation he slowly walked over to his own seat to wait for school to end for the day.  
  



	7. Where Are You?

As soon as the last lesson ended was Seira out through the door, closely followed by Asuka. She was really worried about her best friend. Somehow she didn't think that they would find her at home, so she was already thinking of other places she could be. But they had to check her home first, maybe she had gone there last night. She stopped outside Meimis house and turned to Asuka.  
"Are you sure you want to be here? You don't have to be. You have to capture her when we find her after all."  
This was what Seira feared the most. She knew that Meimi loved Asuka, but she had no idea how he felt about her. And his determination to catch Saint Tail might be greater than his caring for a classmate. She looked at him uneasy while waiting for what he would do.  
  
Asuka looked at her tense face. He could understand what she was worried about, Meimi was her best friend after all.  
"To be perfectly honest I don't know what I'm gonna do. I mean, she's Saint Tail, I've been chasing her forever. I have to arrest her, don't I? But I really don't want it to be her, not Meimi. I don't know if I can arrest her. I only know that I need to find her."  
She saw the surprise in Mimoris eyes when he said Meimis first name, but ignored it. He had spoken the truth and he had to see if she would accept his answer. To his relief she nodded and turned to knock on the door. When Meimis mother opened the door he could feel his heart sink. She looked like she had been crying. She wasn't home. He soon got that confirmed when Mimori asked her. She hadn't been in her room when she had gone to wake her up for school, and the bed hadn't been slept in. He exchanged a glance with Mimori and she said goodbye to Haneoka Eimi before they started walking down the street.  
"We're gonna have to split up. I'll search in town, where will you go?"  
He thought for a moment before answering.  
"I'll go look in the park."  
  
Meimi was still sitting in her protected corner of the park, well hid by the trees. Nobody would be able to see her from the walkpath. She had a little bad consious, she knew her mother and Seira probably was very worried by now. She never came back last night after all. Maybe even he was worried. No way. He was probably just frustrated that she wasn't in school so that he could arrest her. Why would he be worried? She was just another classmate after all. Maybe he was angry though. She had tricked him for a long time. It wouldn't be a wonder if he was. What a fool she was to ever have started this stupid game! She couldn't believe that she had actually done it. She was so stupid.  
In the middle of her troubled thoughts she suddenly heard her name being called. Somebody was calling for 'Meimi'. But who? She chanced to go a bit closer to the walkpath to see who it was. But the sight of Asuka made her jerk back behind the trees. But it was too late, he had already seen her. She started running in between the trees hearing him chase after her. Why was he here? And why had he called her first name anyway? She didn't know and she didn't care.  
"Meimi, are you gonna run for the rest of your life?"  
His words made her freeze for a split second before she started running again.  
"If that is what it takes I will."  
"In that case I will keep chasing after you all that time! I won't let you dissapear!"  
This time she froze to the ground. She couldn't move anymore. She just stood there and let him catch up with her, her tears running down her cheeks.  
  
When Asuka finally caught up with Meimi he was breathing heavily. He looked at her tear-stained face and knew in that moment that he was never going to be able to arrest her. He threw his arms around her in a tight hug and felt her tense up. But he didn't let go. Instead he whispered:  
"Why do you keep running away from me? Why do you run away when I love you so?"  
He felt her body go rigid for a moment at his confession, then it was like her entire body turned into jelly and she slumped down in a weeping heap on the ground with his arms still around her.  
  



	8. I Love You

Meimi couldn't believe what she had just heard. _Why do you run away when I love you so?_ Had she really heard him say that? Her body wouldn't listen to her so she just sat there, with her tears running and his arms around her. It felt quite nice to be hugged like that by him. But she knew it couldn't last. She had to get away. She knew that so why did her body refuse to obey her? She managed to lift a hand and push him away a little so that she could see his face. His eyes were glanced over like he was holding back tears.  
"I have to leave. I have to get out of here."  
His eyes grew wide and she could see that he didn't understand what she was talking about, so she tried to explain.  
"If I stay around it will end up with you arresting me, so I have to leave."  
  
Asuka looked into her sincere eyes. And he finally let the tears fall. Tears of relief and tears of desperation. He had just found her, so why was she talking about leaving? He didn't understand.  
"I'm not going to arrest you, not ever. I'm the only one who saw you, nobody else knows, and they can't make me tell them. Never."  
He looked at her hopefully, praying that she would understand that she had no reason to leave, no reason to dissapear from his life. But she shook her head and stood up, freeing herself from his embrace.  
"Please understand. I want to stay, but I can't. I don't want to leave Seira... or you..." Her voice was soft and the last words were spoken so low that he hardly heard them, but he did. He was just going to say something but she continued, this time almost shouting under her tears.  
"But I have to, don't you see! I can't stay here where I only cause problems for the people I care about. I have to leave for everybodys sake, but also for my own. Somewhere where I can start over."  
  
Meimi was getting desperate. She had to make him understand somehow. She had been found out, she couldn't stay. If she did, Asuka would have to lie to the police because of her. And that could get him into great trouble. And the last thing she wanted was to give him problems. She loved him, so she would leave for his sake. She looked down on him where he still sat with his head bent.  
"Fine, since I can't seem to change your mind. But can you at least stay until the end of this semester? And you have to let me know where you go. I won't let you go, remember that."  
She looked at him with soft eyes. Oh how she wanted to do like he asked her. She knew that she couldn't but she said anyway:  
"Okay, I can stay until the end of semester. And then I'll probably go to Tokyo. It's a big city and noone knows me there. I could start over completely."  
She saw him look up at her with relief and felt a pang of guilt about lying to him. But she knew that she didn't have a choice. So she reached out her hand towards him and forced up a smile.  
"So I guess you did follow the rules after all. You found me."  
He took her hand and stood up.  
"Yeah, I did. Shall we go? Mimori and your mother is really worried about you, and you must be hungry if you were out here all night and day."  
She nodded slowly and started walking out from the trees. When they got out of the park they were met by Seira. Meimi looked at them both.  
"I have to get home before mom fall to pieces. Seira, can you come with me?"  
Seira nodded and then looked questionly at Asuka. Meimi answered for him.  
"He's not coming with us. He have to get home and I need to talk to you Seira."  
And with that she walked up to Asuka and kissed him gently on the cheek. She whispered a soft 'goodbye' in his ear before she started walking with Seira. Before they got out of eyesight she turned her head and looked at Asuka who were still standing at the gates to the park. She gave him an apologetic look before turning away againg, not looking back once more.  
  
~Next Morning~  
Asuka was sitting in his desk in deep thought. He had been early today so he was the only one there. There was something bothering him. Meimis talk about leaving yesterday and the look in her eyes when she had turned to look at him. It had almost looked like she was apologising for something. But for what? When he heard the sound of the door he turned sharply towards the sound. His shoulders slumped when he saw a tired-looking Mimori Seira walk in. When she spotted him she walked up and lay something on his bench. It was a simple folded paper. He looked at her expectantly but to his horror she shook her head slowly.  
"She's not coming. Open that and you will hopefully understand."  
And with that she left for her own seat. He looked down at the piece of paper in his hands and opened it. It exploded in a firework of confetti and he caught hold of a card. A notice card. He hurried to read it and then sat staring at it for a long time without understanding it. The card read:  
  
 _To my dear Asuka Jr._  
 _I have left town and is going to live on my own in Tokyo._  
 _Don't come looking for me._  
 _I hope that you can someday forgive me for lying to you, but there's nothing else I can do._  
 _Love from Meimi._  
 _I will probably always love you, but try to forget me. Please._  
  
Asuka stared at the words screaming out from the card at him. He couldn't understand what Meimi meant with these words. She had left? But she had said that she would stay the semester out. She had said that! He looked back at Mimori, begging her to tell him that it was a bad joke, but her sad eyes told him the opposite. He crumpled the card in a shaking hand and felt a tear find it's way down his cheek. She was gone. But he wasn't going to give her up because of that. Not if what she wrote was true and she loved him. He was going to stay true to his words, the words that kept repeating in his head.  
  
 _I won't let you disappear!!_  
  



End file.
